Norwegian Joy Catches Fire at Meyer Werft

A fire broke out on the cruise ship newbuilding Norwegian Joy at Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, on the morning of October 8, 2016.

The fire started on one of the balconies of the cruise ship’s Deck 9 at 7:50 am, and was brought under control at around 9:20 am, according to the local police (Polizeiinspektion Emsland).

The covered building dock II, where the Norwegian Joy is being built, was evacuated and all workers left the facility uninjured, the county’s police department said in a statement.

By the late Sunday evening, October 9, firefighters remained on the scene extinguishing embers and cooling down the fire site.

On October 10, 2016, police officers from Papenburg conducted an inspection at the site. It was determined that the fire had spread over several decks in the area of the ship’s cabins.

The extent of the damage and cause of the fire are still being investigated, Polizeiinspektion Emsland said.

Further investigation by the police is said to begin on October 11, 2016.

The Norwegian Joy is being built for the US-based cruise company Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL). Set to debut in summer 2017, the Norwegian Joy will be the company’s first ship purpose-built for the Chinese market.

The question remains whether the incident at Meyer Werft will delay the delivery of the cruise ship.